Improved apparatus for treating diseases by mechanical movement



ALLENQL, Woonor new' vonk, N, v.

Leiters Potent No. 97,744, dated December 7 1869.

`11i/renewal) ARPAATUS PoR TREATING prsrmsns BY MEGHANIGAL MOVEMENT.

The `Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the saune,

To all whom tt lmay concern Be it known that I, ALLEN L. Woomof 'the city, county, and State ofNevv. York, have invented a new and improved Machanical Apparatus for Medi-` calUse inthe Treatment of Diseases and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Eigurer l is a side elevation, constituting a general `view of my appa atus:

Figure 2 is avplaii view of the vibrating bar G, tables P P, and a portion ofthe i'rameA;

, Figure 3 is an edge view of the rotating canidlsk E i Figure 4 is a front view of therotary rubbing-disk;

Figure 5 is a side view of the reciprocating rubber M; and y y Figure (i, a side view of the attaclnnent L.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of `the figures.

lhe object of my ini-*entionis to devise a machine 1n which mechanical action is adapted to produce mol tion.oi",variouskinds, in a manner applicable to the treatment ofvarious diseases, with salutary effect; and. v .y i z ,It consists essentially in the employment of certain mechanism, whereby circular` or rotary motion, properly converted and applied, is made `to..peribr1n the several `operations of rubbing, kneading, and giving vibratory and other-actionto the muscles and various parts ofthe system. ,A n i i .t

As represented in the drawings', ik is an uprightv frame, of any suitable size and forni, furnishing sup- `port for the' bearings of thev shaft ofthe main drivingwheel B, and also` of the several disks C, D, and E.

VThe main wheel may be` driven by any suitable power, whether steam, animal, or mechanical, its motion beingcommunicated t-o the spindles by` means. of

bands or gearing. i i

An effective agent, or, medium, for the application of motion of various kinds `tojthe patient, by means of different special appliances, is the vibrating bar G, one end of which-is sustained by va pivoted standard, F, and the opposite'one] connected .with the disk H,

or `to other movin g, parts, asyivill hereafter be described.

Thusiarranged,lit isfcapableof imparting vertical, hori- @zent-a1, or circular vibrations.

Tablesor platforms '1? 1 Iare 'placedon either side of saidbar, ou which`y the patient .is supported, with the part ,to be operated upon lying upon and across the bar, the upper, surface of which is provided with a friction or rubbing-device,for with cushions adapted to the particular mode of operation required.

. 1n the. applicationV of" kneading, the attachment shown at I, tig. 1, is applied to thetop of the vibratingvbar, the opposite end of which is connected with "the disk H, by means of a bolt, which admits of ,the

free rotation of the disk.'

The effect of this rotation is to produce a circular vibration of the part I, which (the patient lying on i the tables, in such position thatthe abdomen or other part to be operated upon is in contact with it,) closely ot' the connecting-rod J, shown in dotted redlines.

i In this case, the lateral vibration of the bar is pre- 'vented by ii'icton-g11ides, one ot' which is shown at a, whichadmits only of motion in-a'vertical direction.

The vibrations are alsoincreasml in rapidity by the disk D being driven at a more rapid rate than the former. p f With the last-described, and also with a horizontal motion, theA attachment- L, which is adapted to receive the side or limb of the patient, may be used.

`The horizontal motion is obtained by connecting, with the rod J, the horizontal larm of the elbow-lever K, shown vin red in fig.l l, and disconnecting the lower end oi' said rod from the bar, and connecting the bar to the vertical arm of the lever, wherebfthe motion is converted into one consisting of rapid vibrations on a horizontal plane.

his is adapted to friction or simple rubbing, and

the attachment mainly employed is shown at M,

which consists ot a series of transverse ribs, alternated with grooves or spaces between.

Rapid circular vibrations are obtained by detaching the lower arm of the elbow-lever, and connecting the bar again with the rod or pitman J', while the latter is attached to the horizontal arm of the level' K, which `so controls its movement as to produce again the circular or elliptical motion, the same as obtained It will be seen that the combination of any 1na chine readily admits of its being extended to any hnmber of patients desired at the same time, by employing adequate power to drive it,

. The attachments for friet-ion, kneading, 8vo., are preferably covered on the surface with leather, and

'may be stuffed with any suitable material, possessing To these, the feet of the patient are secured by the spring-holder c, which gently presses them down, or they may be held by a stra-p, which buckles fast.

r1he rotation of the disk imparts like motion to thc axis d, which carries the centre of the bar around in a true circle, while the extremities on which the feet rest, are free to follow the uniform rotation, orto oscillate, as the case or comfort of the patient may require, thereby `securing the greatest advantage of rew medial metiera-that of exercise without fatigue or uncomfortable restraint.

For motion to the hands and arms, I al'lix, in the same manner, a bar, O, iig. 1, to the disk D.

'lhis bar is grasped by the hands of the patient, on

either side of its axis r, the motion being the sameas .that of the feet.

The axis of these bars,-as also of the vibrating bar, may be adjusted to a greater or lesser distance from the centre of the disk, to increase or diminish the motion, by means ofthe several holes c c, or an equivalent slot, or other device.

It is sometimes desirable to produce the kneading ope-ration by the ,direct application of the 'rotary'motion, and to this end, I provide a shaft or spindles, on any convenient part of my machine, to which I attach a rotating head, consisting cfa series o'cams, as represented at E, in which the eccentric or cam-portions, 1, 2,' 3, successively revolve, on different planes, in contact with the abdomen, or other parts of the invalids person, he lying on couches placed on either side.

Rotaryfriction or rubbing is produced' by means of the disk, shown in tig. 4, consisting cfa disk, the face 1. As an instrument of `4hygienic treatment, the vibratiug bar G, ha'vinr a rotary motion at the end actuated, and its opposite extremity connected with a yvertical vibratory support, for producing the operation of kneading and vibrating through the medium of iixed or removable attachments, for the purpose substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with the bar G, the pitman J and elbow-lever K, for converting the circular vibrav'tory into vertical and horizontal vibratory motion,

substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the vibrating bar G, operating as describedLthe removable leather-covered, ribbed, rubbing-attachment M, substantially as described.

4. The foot and hand-rests or bars, having continuous rotary motion given by the disk at the pointof attachment, substantially as shown and described.

5. The radially-ribbed 1ubbing-disk,fi". 4, operated by any suit-able mechanism, either by rotary or oscillating motion, substantially as set forth.

(i. lhe compound cam-wheel E, for producing a ltneading-etiect by rotary motion, substantially as shown and described. l

7. Extending the usual opening for the operation ofthe vibrating-devices through the entire length or breadth of the table on which the patient rests, so that the bar G may operate for the entire length or breadth of said table, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed'my name, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses: ALLEN L. WOOD.

JONA. AUsTlx, KATE N. Joivns. 

